Behavior change. Two little words, but oh so much to accomplish!

I think the biggest challenge that we face in managing food choices is not in learning what to select, but in unlearning old habits. It’s one thing to learn about the benefits of fruits and vegetables and which ones you like. It’s entirely another to stop eating chocolates every time you feel depressed.

If you’ve ever had a tough week using your logical brain to help you make better choices (and I seem to have had a lot of those weeks lately), here’s something to put it in perspective:

…today I visited a homeless shelter.

Now, when I was living in San Francisco, I saw so many homeless people (thousands upon thousands) that I pretty much got to a point of saturation where I tried not to think about them because the problem seemed so overwhelming. So I knew that it was a terrible problem but on some level I just tried to ignore it.

For my new job, however, I need to be immersed in the community and to understand the places our clients come from (we serve the underinsured at four non-profit health clinics in Southern Wisconsin). And today that involved a quick visit to the local family shelter.

When you see the dire circumstances of folks like that up front and personal, you realize that decision-making is not as easy as it sounds. I’m no expert, but I’m guessing it’s not just one or two bad choices that land you in a shelter. It’s got to be a combination of really shitty luck and a series of very unfortunate choices.

Because trust me, no one wants to end up in a homeless shelter, least of all the people who are there.

So when I examine some of the poor food decisions I made today (two pieces of cake in the office break room), it helps to understand that change is a hard thing. Even knowing the bad results of a choice is not enough to make us permanently change the way we think. To consistently look at life in a different way and make everyday choices that aren’t tied to the past…well that’s just a tough hill to climb.

I’m not saying it’s impossible, and god knows I’m not saying it’s undesirable. But behavior change is something that definitely takes a lot of focus and a lot of energy.

Just ask a homeless person.